Barnhart: Chizik passing on spread looks like a smart move

[RunInRed 16,996]

Auburn's Chizik passing on spread looks like a smart move

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Gene Chizik has been the head coach at Auburn for three seasons and the results, by any objective measure, have been pretty good:

• 30 wins and a conference record of 16-9 while playing in the toughest division (SEC West) in the toughest conference in America.

• One SEC championship (2010), Auburn's first since 2004.

• A 14-0 record and a BCS national championship, Auburn's first since 1957. In case you're keeping score at home, four of the last five BCS titles have come from the SEC West.

• 3-0 in bowl games.

So with things going reasonably well, what did Chizik decide to change this spring?

Only everything.

"We looked at everything in the offseason and decided to make some changes," Chizik said. "And we've made a lot of progress. Our guys have concentrated on everything we've asked them to do."

What are those changes, you ask?

Let's start with the offense. Gus Malzahn, the guru of the spread offense who molded Cam Newton into the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, left to become the head coach at Arkansas State. Chizik decided to take that opportunity go back to the future in Auburn's approach to offense. The spread is out. Blue-collar football is back.

"The fact is that if you look at it historically, you have to do two things to win in the SEC," Chizik said. "You have to be able to run the football and stop the run. We want to get back to being a very physical football team. We want to put the quarterback under center and run the ball downhill. We did it on Day 1 of spring practice and right now we're in a pretty good place."

Translation: Cam Newton ain't walking back through that door, and unless you have a Newton or a Tebow at quarterback, you're not going to beat the big, fast defenses at Alabama and LSU with the spread. You gotta man up.

Read more here: http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/18707447/chizik-passing-on-spread-for-runbased-attack-looks-like-smart-move

Sounds a lot like Pat Dye... Run the ball. Play defense. Knock the hell out of folks.

[Defense(clap clap) 4]

Sounds a lot like Tuberville too. "Run the ball. Stop the run. Sound kicking game"

[EagleReedle 14]

We really have a great coach. I live in Tennessee and seeing the turmoil and complete unrest the UT football base is in right now because of their unproven coach, I can really appreciate this article. We also had a great coach in Malzahn I don't want to take anything away from him.

[RunInRed 16,996]

Sounds a lot like Tuberville too. "Run the ball. Stop the run. Sound kicking game"

Somewhat, but xCTT was much more conservative and uncreative in his overall approach, IMO. Plus I don't think he has the ability to motivate like Dye and Chizik do.

[Tiger 8,841]

This approach on the offensive side of the ball will help the defense out significantly, IMO. It should be fun to watch! How does everybody think Auburn's current skillset on the offensive roster will transfer over to the new style of offense? Considering the past 3 years have been recruited around a spread philosophy.

[McWeagle 4]

This approach on the offensive side of the ball will help the defense out significantly, IMO. It should be fun to watch! How does everybody think Auburn's current skillset on the offensive roster will transfer over to the new style of offense? Considering the past 3 years have been recruited around a spread philosophy.

That's a popular school of thought, but I look at the roster, and I don't see a major difference in recruiting philosophy. Can anybody tell me exactly how it's been different? Not challenging you, here- just pleading ignorance.

I know Frazier is considered a dual-threat QB, but I'm not sure that tag means a lot anymore in offensive recruiting. I realize a spread needs a dual-threat guy, but it seems there are a lot of pro-ish offenses that also recruit dual-threat guys.

Do Reed, Mason, Bray and OMac represent "spread recruiting"? Or do Blakely, Coates, Robinson and our various TEs counterbalance that? Again, honest questions.

Man, I get fired up rattling off all these names. Spread, pro, I-formation, whatever. There's fun to be had with this group.

[Auburnfan91 1,408]

Somewhat, but xCTT was much more conservative and uncreative in his overall approach, IMO. Plus I don't think he has the ability to motivate like Dye and Chizik do.

I don't think Tuberville has the ability to motivate anymore. He hasn't been motivated since 2007. It's like the 2008 season took the coaching fire out of him. He's just going through the motions at Texas Tech.

I'll partially disagree with you about Tuberville being more conservative. He was more conservative after 2004. He would run fake punts a good bit before Jet-Gate.

[Defense(clap clap) 4]

Considering the past 3 years have been recruited around a spread philosophy.

While Malzahn was recruiting guys to play in his offense, we haven't pigeon holed ourselves. The only ones that could be considered spread players are McCalebb, but he was recruited by Tuberville out of high school, and Stallworth, Reed and Bray, but they could be slot guys in just about any offense.

At this point, we've got 4 TE's on the roster. We've got two TE's coming in as well as two big, physical WR's and big RB, and all of those guys were committed, or had us in their top few, before Malzahn left. And the OL we have aren't the same as what Tony Franklin wanted. He got a guy like Ziemba to play around 275/280. Even under Malzahn, the guys on the OL weren't playing small. So, I don't think you can really say we've only recruited specifically for a "spread" offense.

[AUslug 1]

Frazier could be alot like D. Craig back in 96/97, passer and a runner. I'm all for going back under center and pounding the ball and getting the defense back to playing tackle football not two hand touch. The past three years have produced some wild and fun shoot outs but Gene saw what kind of toll it can take on a defense. Tubbs was a good coach but his last three teams as a head coach have been bleh.